“OOH! HEE! HAA! EEEEH!” Amilyn (Paul Reubens) has some pretty elongated death rows. All thanks to the titular vampire killer Buffy The Vampire Slayer(Kristy Swanson), who has to stake vamps ON A SCHOOL NIGHT?! Yes, instead of attending the senior dance, Buffy must contend with the dark forces of blood sucking evil. With the help of Merrick (Donald Sutherland), a Watcher who is sent to help train the young girl in the ways of destroying evil. Said evil includes Amilyn’s master Lothos (Rutger Hauer), a vampire out to destroy all Slayers. How can young Buffy juggle her new responsibilities and still have time to be with the young hunk Pike (Luke Perry)? Decades of Horror is here to fill you in!

Decades of Horror 1990s Episode 20 — Buffy (1992)

Buffy is a bit of a sore spot for writer Joss Whedon. After getting his start writing sitcoms, Whedon’s script about a high school cheerleader fighting vampires was picked up by 20th Century Fox. Unfortunately, he was not a fan of the final result. Claiming it took his dark script and turned it into too fluffy a comedy, Whedon went on to turn sequelize his script into a TV show that started in 1997. That show became a massive cult success, creating the cult fame that would lead to Whedon getting gigs making Avengers movies. Yet, seeds of that style are sewed into the fabric of this early work. For example, the valley girl talk would segue into Buffy Speak, the awkward vernacular everyone in Whedon’s writing talks in.

Here to talk all things Buffy in their own vernacular are Thomas and his own Scooby Gang Jordan Cobb and Caitlin Turner. All being fans of the TV show, rewatching the movie is a bit rough. There are questions about many changes. Why is Buffy‘s mom so distant? What is up with the lazy wardrobe? Did Donald Sutherland give a single damn about anything? Still, there’s plenty of things to praise, mainly surprising turns from Kristy Swanson & Luke Perry and the comedic highlights of Paul Reubens and Stephen Root. Of course, the show and its spin off Angel are also discussed in detail as the three mention their favorite episodes, biggest tear jerking moments and reasonings why Joss Whedon is so damned beloved as a creator. Don’t worry. They get back to the movie… eventually.

Contact Us

We want to hear from you — the coolest, most gruesome fans: leave us a message or leave a comment on the site or email the Decades of Horror 1990s podcast hosts at thomasmariani@decadesofhorror.com or tweet Thomas @NotTheWhosTommy. Also, make sure to give us some love via iTunes reviews and ratings. Helps us get more notice along the way.

The intro and outro is “Suck City” by Black Math. Look for more of their music via Free Music Archive.

Next Episode

The Dark Half (1993)

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Thomas Mariani is a born geek, with a bit of nerd mixed in here & there. A native of the (less) swampy parts of Florida, Thomas has always been a fan of films, television & other sources of media ever since he was a child, having been raised on Jim Henson, Star Wars and the basic cable cartoons of the â€™90s & â€™00s.

Some of his favorite horror films include Evil Dead II, Poltergeist and An American Werewolf in London. He already has experience writing and podcasting about pop culture, which you can read/listen to on sites like www.oneofus.net, www.horrornews.net or even on twitter as @NotTheWhosTommy.

Thomas Mariani is a born geek, with a bit of nerd mixed in here & there. A native of the (less) swampy parts of Florida, Thomas has always been a fan of films, television & other sources of media ever since he was a child, having been raised on Jim Henson, Star Wars and the basic cable cartoons of the â€™90s & â€™00s. Some of his favorite horror films include Evil Dead II, Poltergeist and An American Werewolf in London. He already has experience writing and podcasting about pop culture, which you can read/listen to on sites like www.oneofus.net, www.horrornews.net or even on twitter as @NotTheWhosTommy.

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